Greetings, everyone!

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Is it possible that we are almost done with this amazing module? It was such a great module, and I learned a lot. I can't believe we are almost done.

I hope you are all doing well and that you are healthy.

Things are going well for me.  Despite having a lot of assignments due, my week started well.

In this post, I'd like to share my experience with LSKM 221…

1. Please share your story as an LSKM 221 student by comparing your knowledge, skills, experiences, abilities and attitude towards music education from the start of the semester to the end of the semester.

I had little knowledge of music education before we started this module.  Furthermore, I did not think music was such an important part of a child's life. With the completion of this module, I feel I have gained a lot of knowledge about music education, and I am confident to use it. Throughout my study, I learned something new about music education and would definitely apply what I've learned in my classroom one day.

2. What was your experience of the role of individual reflection as part of the teaching and learning process? Use the following prompts to reflect on your blogging experience and the role that individual reflection played (or not) in your teaching and learning experience this semester:

•     What did you learn from your individual reflections?

The individual reflections helped me to understand what I have learned. The individual reflections that other students wrote were interesting to read; this allowed me to learn from them too.

•     What did you find challenging?

I found study unit 5 challenging, but I also found it interesting.  Lesson planning is always challenging for me but after going through the study unit I have a better understanding of lesson planning.  

•     Did you find the individual reflections meaningful? Please motivate your answer.

I loved the individual reflections and I feel it was meaningful. It was interesting to read the individual reflections of other students as well, I learned a lot from others.

•     What would you change if you had the opportunity in future?

I don't think there is anything I would change; I believe the lecturer covered everything we needed to know.

3. Please share what you would change in the LSKM221 module if you had the opportunity. The following prompts can guide your reflection:

The module was very informative, we learned lots about music education.  I think the lecturer covered all the information that is needed to know about music education.  This module gave me valuable insight into music education and I wouldn't change a thing.

•     What did you find interesting and meaningful?

All of the topics covered in this module were interesting to me. The unit I enjoyed the most was study unit 3.  I found it really interesting how musical games are presented in foundation phase and the role musical play plays in development.  Using the information from this study unit can help to increase motivation to learn in the classroom.

•     What challenged you, and what do you still struggle to understand?

There was a challenge in every study unit, but the challenges made the module interesting. There was nothing specifically challenging for me since the lecturer explained everything in every unit so clearly.

•     What didn’t you find valuable for your future teaching practice?

Overall, I found this module to be valuable for the future.  My knowledge gained from this module will definitely help me when I teach one day.

Can't believe this is our last blog, I'll miss writing them...

This module was so much fun for me, and I hope you all enjoyed it, too.  I wish you a wonderful semester ahead and good luck with your tests and assignments.

Take care.  Keep yourself healthy.  Be positive, we are almost done with semester 2!

Goodbye to everyone!

Hello everyone! 

I hope you are all doing great and that you are all healthy. 

 It is almost the end of the year, I can't believe that we are almost done with our second year too. 

This week has been good for me, and I am doing great. I am actually feeling like I am catching up with my assignments and tests. 

This week I learned a lot from study unit 5. I enjoyed it so much to learn a bit more about lesson planning because it is something we will use everyday in our classroom one day.

It helps a lot to learn more and more about how to correctly plan a lesson, I am not always sure if I am on the right track when it comes to lesson planning. Using the knowledge of study unit 5 will definitely help me to plan better lessons and also how to plan lessons using music activities.  I always enjoy to learn about how music can be used in the classroom. 

Learning about the different methods of assessment was really interesting. This will help a lot when choosing the correct assessment method for the type of lesson being done. After learning this study unit, I feel a lot more comfortable to do a lesson plan. This study unit is really useful and would definitely use this information when I have to do a lesson plan. 

What could the possible reasons be that assessment is neglected in Performing Arts and Music in the Foundation Phase?

There could be many reasons why.. but I will name a few reasons here:

1. The curriculum is too full.
2. Performing arts takes up a lot of teaching time. 
3. The school day is too full. 
4. There is too many work in the other subjects and then music and art might get neglected.

Please explain how you would advocate for and heighten awareness about the importance of assessment when speaking with your HOD about your concerns in this regard.

I will use my knowledge from what I learnt in the module LSKM about music and performance arts and I will then ask the HOD to do more research with me on this. This will help me and the HOD to see how important it really is to use music and arts in the foundation phase class. 

I would also make a suggestion to integrate music and arts in the foundation phase. 

I really enjoyed learning more about lesson planning and how to use music and arts in lesson plans. I hope that this study unit was useful for everyone else as well. 

Have a lovely week everyone and good luck with the last few assignments and tests!

Stay safe and stay positive, we are almost done...

Goodbye everyone.

Hello everyone!

I hope you are all healthy and doing great! Things are going well for me, and I am happy to be healthy. We have been extremely busy this week. I am so busy with all the tests and assignments. The assignments and tests seem never-ending. As soon as I feel I am on track, then something else comes up. Within a few weeks we will be approaching the end of our last semester and we have lots to do. Are you feeling the same?

Study unit 4 was my focus this week for LSKM. I enjoyed working through the study unit. I learned so many strategies on how to integrate art in foundation phase and the value of integrating it in the classroom.

Some people might say arts integration is a waste of time in Foundation Phase education. Please explain how you would respond to such a statement by explaining your view on arts integration in the Foundation Phase.

The inclusion of art in foundation phase is not a waste of time, I think we should integrate art more into the curriculum. Integrating art in foundation phase is a fun way to learn and will always encourage student engagement in the classroom. Using art in foundation phase can help children develop their creative minds and improve their thinking skills in other subjects as well. It helps a lot with socialising as well.

Integrating arts has a lot of benefits for the teacher and the child, and it is definitely something that we should use in the foundation phase classroom.

Which aspects of study unit 4 did you find the most interesting and challenging?

It was so interesting for me to learn about how integration of arts can help a child and how it can help a teacher to make learning fun. I found this interesting because it can help a lot with using arts in my classroom one day.

I did not find anything challenging in the study unit. This study unit was really interesting and I learned a lot more about integrating art in foundation phase.

This study unit is so useful for when I want to integrate art in my classroom. I believe that integrating arts is really important in foundation phase and should be used more.

I hope you all enjoyed this study unit as much as I did. I learned a lot in this study unit and will definitely use the information for the future.

I have to say goodbye for now… 

Hope you have a amazing week further and I hope you make great progress with the assignments and tests!

Keep well and stay safe!

Goodbye.

Hello it's me again!

  ​ ​

I hope you are doing great and I hope that you are making progress with all the assignments and tests!

My week has been good because I have been healthy, at work and studying. With so much assignments and tests, my week had already gotten a bit hectic. Working at a school and studying can get a little challenging sometimes but I love what I do!

I'm looking forward to the school holiday that starts on Friday. During the school holiday I will have some more time to only focus on my university work. Over the past week, I have been working on study unit 3. I found it to be quite interesting. This week, I learned about musical play and its importance in the foundation phase. It was also interesting to learn about the effects musical play has on children's cognitive, holistic, and physical development.

Learning through the use of musical play can be a fun way to encourage participation from all students.

I definitely plan to utilize musical play in my classroom one day, it offers many benefits for foundation phase students.

Let’s answer some questions in study unit 3…               ​                                         

What possibly made some learners uncomfortable during these activities?

The teacher focused more on teaching the learners the song and not the game. In my opinion the learners felt uncomfortable because they must learn a song in another language and not everyone is from the same culture. I also think the children felt uncomfortable because the teacher focused more on the song than the game, children will enjoy it more when they learn a song while playing.

Why were some learners uncomfortable?

The learners might be from a different culture and would struggle to pronounce the words in the song and did not know the language. Some children belong to different religions. Dancing or singing might be against the rules of some religions. Some of the girls felt uncomfortable to dance in front of the boys.

Can you think of ways to address these issues in future? What will you change?

In the future I will choose songs and games that are popular to most of the learners. I will also choose a song with a language that all of the learners know and understand. I will also not let the boys and girls dance in front of each other. I will let them dance around together in the circle and not one at a time in the middle of the circle.

How can we accommodate diverse learner profiles in our classrooms? What must we beware of?

First, the teacher should be aware of the diversity in the classroom. The teacher should also keep in mind the different needs of each child.

Secondly, I feel the teacher should teach the learners that everyone is different, and we all have different cultures.

The different types of cultures and learners in our classrooms should make us aware of what we can do to accommodate them. Educators should be aware of what they say and ask learners if they feel comfortable learning about cultures and religions different from their own. The goal is to not make our learners uncomfortable when we speak of their culture or religion, or cultures and religions of others.

I found this study unit really interesting.  I will definitely use the knowledge I gained from this study unit in my classroom one day.

Before I go, here is a quote I like to read to motivate myself to work hard and to stay positive:

“Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.” - Pele

Have a lovely week further and good luck with everything!

Goodbye everyone!

​

Hi it's me again! 

I hope it's going great with everyone and that you all are safe. This week started of hectic with a lot of assignments and tests. I don't know if you guys feel the same?

In study unit 2 I realized how important it is to incorporate different types of music in the classroom. It is so interesting how music can help children to gain a lot of knowledge and skills. Music is also a great way to meet all the learners' needs in the classroom. It can get a little bit difficult in the classroom sometimes to try and meet all the learners' needs at one time. I really think that music can help a lot in the classroom.

1. As a Foundation Phase teacher, you have to choose between utilising indigenous African music, Western Art music or contemporary commercial music (including popular music and film music) in your classes. Which would you choose? Please motivate your answer. 

I would like to utilize all types of music in my classroom. It can definitely help with learning and to meet the needs of each child. Every child is different and learns in a different way and I think by using all types of music might help each child in the classroom to learn and feel included. 

If I only have to choose one type of music in my classroom, I think it would be contemporary commercial music. This type of music is familiar to mostly all of the children and it would interest most of the learners in the classroom. This will mean that more learning will take place and the learners will be interested in learning and hopefully everyone will feel included in the classroom. 

I would be happy to use any music in my classroom but only if my learners feel welcome, included and interested to learn

2. Do you think that the examples and content offered in SU 2 are inclusive? Please motivate your answer.

I definitely feel that the content in Study unit 2 are inclusive. In this study unit I learned a lot more about how music can be used in the classroom and how to create fun music activities. It was so interesting to learn about all the ways that music can help to include all learners in the classroom and to meet their needs. After learning the content of this study unit, I really feel more comfortable to use music in the classroom and I think that learning through music and games is a great way to keep learners interested in learning. 

3. What suggestions do you have for making the content more inclusive? Please provide examples of how the content and activities presented in SU 2 could be changed or adapted to be more inclusive.

I don't think that I can suggest that anything should change in this study unit. The information in this study unit is very inclusive, easy to understand and really interesting. There is a lot in study unit 2 that can be used in the classroom. I think this is a excellent study unit and it included everything we needed to learn about. 

I hope you enjoyed this study unit as much as I did and I am looking forward to learn a lot more about music and its uses in the classroom.

Have a lovely week further and stay safe! 

Goodbye, until next time. 

Hello everyone! I hope you are safe and you are doing great. 

This week felt so long and It feels like the time flies and not much is getting done. I am excited that we officially started with our studies but everything still feels a little bit overwhelming.

During this week I have been working hard through study unit 1 and it is really interesting to learn about the theories and to learn more about music in the developmental stages. The three theories that I learned about is Erikson's theory, Piaget's theory and Vygotsky's zone of proximal development. 

Now let's start answering some questions about this module!

1. Explain your understanding of Vygotsky's zone of proximal development.

What I understand from Vygotsky's zone of proximal development is that social interaction is so important for the cognitive development of a child. It is also important that an adult or peer is part of the learning process of the child.

2. Summarize the most important aspects of the learning theories of Erikson, Piaget and Vygotsky for your teaching practice as foundation phase teacher.

Erikson - The most important aspect for me is that relationships and social interaction is really important, it influence the child's learning. It is so important for a teacher to build a healthy relationship with a child and enable a child to interact with peers.  It is so important to show a child that they are important, loved, cared for and it is most important to praise each child in the classroom. 

Piaget - The most important aspects of Piaget's theory is the stages of the theory. It is also important to use the child's existing knowledge with new knowledge.

Vygotsky- The most important aspect of Vygotsky is the influence that socio-cultural factors have on cognitive development. For a teacher it is so important to know in which social environment a child grows up and what influence it has on the cognitive development of the child. If a teacher knows this, it can be easier to understand what learning needs a child have. This theory would definitely be helpful in the classroom. 

3. Reflect on your newly gained knowledge of learning theories and holistic development and create a mind map in which you outline the most important aspects of holistic development in the foundation phase. 

The theories is really important to use in the classroom especially to understand a child and to support each child in every developmental stage. 

 Most important aspects of holistic development:

• Intellectual ability
• Mental ability
• Emotional ability
• Social ability

4. Why is it important to have basic knowledge about the musical development of foundation phase learners?

It is so important for a teacher to have basic knowledge of music. Music have many benefits for children and many benefits for learning in the classroom. Music helps learners to learn important things in a fun way. Sometimes learners get distracted and bored in the classroom and music can help them to learn in a fun way. Music is very important to help the children to develop.  Music is so important for attentiveness, multitasking and it helps with numeracy and literacy. 

5. Create suggestions for music activities which will support the various developmental areas of foundation phase learners. Formulate at least three music activities that could support and promote each developmental area.

• Always have music instruments in the classroom to learn rhymes
• Let the learners work together in groups with instruments to make a song about a theme.
• Play sounds to the learners and let them draw what they hear. 

6. Write a short critique about the implications of knowledge about learning theories such as those Erikson, Piaget and Vygotsky with regards to the way in which this knowledge informs your teaching approach as well as the way you approach activity planning.

All of these theories is in a way important to teach and it can help a lot for activity planning because it can be seen as somewhat guidelines to help you plan for each child that develops in a different way. 

This was an interesting study unit and would love to learn more about music and how it helps with the development of a child. 

I am not that confident as I am supposed to be with music in foundation phase but I am sure that as soon as we learn more about using music my confidence will build up. It is so important for me that we incorporate music education and physical education in the foundation phase, both is so important and play different roles in the development of a child. 

I know we are going to learn a lot more about music in the following weeks and I am so excited to learn more!

I hope you all have a great week and stay safe!

Hi everyone, I am Karla Wehmeyer, I am from Uitenhage and  I currently reside here. I work at a school in Despatch and I absolutely love it to work with little kids. I would love to become a teacher because I have a big passion to work with children and to teach them new and exciting things. I feel so excited to start with LSKM 221, it looks like I will be learning a lot of fun new things that I can use in my classroom one day. I hope to learn a little bit more about music in this module and ways to use it in the classroom. Music is a great way to teach and I am so excited to start learning all about it.